


hard to chase away

by sweatshirt



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, F/M, Girl!Oz, Sports, Volleyball team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 02:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8233562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweatshirt/pseuds/sweatshirt
Summary: Cordelia Chase is the proud captain of the Sunnydale High varsity volleyball team. ...Well, co-captain. (Or the one where Buffy and Cordelia aren't just partners on the court.)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buffydyke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffydyke/gifts).



> Originally started for @wlwbuffy's birthday... It kind of got away from me. 
> 
> Note: All my sports knowledge comes from basketball. I apologize for any volleyball related inaccuracies.

Cordelia Chase was the fourth student in Sunnydale High history to be placed on the varsity volleyball team as a freshman.

This piece of knowledge was only accessible to those willing to search through all 80 years of records in Principal Snyder’s office. It wasn’t exactly publicized. Still, it had become a centerpiece of Cordelia Chase mythology, most likely because she reminded her classmates of this accomplishment on a monthly basis.

Cordelia Chase was the team’s star. According to the Cordettes, she had come close to being team captain in junior year, only to lose the title to Thea Wells, an average player with unfortunate taste in fashion. 

Thea Wells was old news, and Cordelia was a rising senior. She’d convinced one of the nerds in the Mathletes club to run some statistics, and she had a 94% chance of making captain. It was practically fate. 

Cordelia woke up on the day of the August tryouts invigorated. Her usual morning routine was amped up to eleven. She used her favorite French hand lotion liberally. Being the presumptive captain of the volleyball wasn’t just about playing well—you had to look, sound, and smell the part too.

She drove herself to the school. It would be abandoned for two more weeks. Inside the gym was a gathering of familiar faces— except for a short blonde girl on the bleachers. 

“Is she new?” Cordelia asked Anya, after exchanging standard pleasantries.

“No. I believe she’s been at Sunnydale for a semester. She’s a junior.”

Cordelia stared at the girl. She was never sure about all that New Agey stuff, but she felt the girl had a bad vibe. She was about to ask Anya some follow-up questions, but Coach Hill blew her whistle, and sports took precedent over snooping.

 

The first round of tryouts was easy.

But not as easy as it should’ve been.

The semi-new girl—the ridiculously named Buffy Summers—was good. Really good. Her serves were powerful but controlled. And Buffy had barely gotten a chance to play in the first round; Cordelia could only imagine the challenge she could pose in future rounds. She packed a punch. 

Anyone that came between Cordelia’s captainship, and consequently, her entire future, was dangerous. This girl could not distract anyone from Cordelia's innate talent. 

 

The second round of tryouts started with a nice exchange of words in the locker room.

“You were really good on Tuesday,” Cordelia said coolly, standing next to Buffy’s locker.

“Thanks,” Buffy said. There was a hint of confusion in her tone.

Cordelia closed her locker and pulled on her Sunnydale High t-shirt. She felt Buffy’s eyes on her.

“What is it?”

Buffy shook her head a little, and looked back up at Cordelia. “It’s a nice shirt.” 

It wasn't a nice shirt. Cordelia didn't know what Buffy's angle was, but she wanted to knock her down a peg.

“Oh, well. You’ll get one. If you don’t mess up horribly.”

With that, she bounced out into the gymnasium. 

Cordelia scanned her crisp, new schedule. She let out a sigh when she read that she had four free periods a week. Plenty of time to change outfits and accessorize. Halfway through physics, Cordelia's teacher told her she was wanted in Coach Hill's office. Cordelia strolled into the coach's office with confidence. She knew what the meeting would be about. 

“We’ve decided to do something a bit unconventional this season,” Coach Hill told Cordelia.

“Change the uniforms to something more fashion forward? Oh, thank God—”

“You’re co-captain.”

Cordelia’s ears rang slightly. Two letters made a big difference. “I’m sorry, can you please explain? Co-captain? With who?”

Coach Hill looked up at a figure in the doorway, and Cordelia turned around.

Buffy Summers. _Of course._

 

“Kill them with kindness.”

Someone smart said that once, and Cordelia was willing to try it. 

There was also "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." They were probably on adjacent Hallmark cards. 

Those platitudes were running through her mind when Cordelia decided to invite her co-captain to her annual back-to-school blowout. Buffy wasn’t exactly a loser—she had plenty of friends, but they tended to be geeks or burnouts. Cordelia figured she would be grateful for the invite. 

“Thanks,” Buffy said, taking the invitation. She flashed Cordelia a polite smile and disappeared to the locker rooms. 

It gave Cordelia the warm and fuzzies. Like doing volunteer work for the worst charity ever.

 

Buffy showed up to her party five minutes early.

From inside her patio, Cordelia heard a voice calling. She made her way to the backyard gate. The servant’s entrance, her grandfather called it.

“Hey, co-captain,” Buffy said upon seeing Cordelia. She was wearing a short blue dress and looking very, very pretty.

Cordelia opened up the iron gate, and Buffy slipped through.

“I'm so glad you could make it,” Cordelia said with faux enthusiasm. They stood on the slate tiles around the pool for a second.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “You know, I doubt that.”

Cordelia’s jaw dropped slightly. Very unseemly. She closed it. Maybe this was why she was always so brutally honest to people—turns out, she sucked at lying.

Buffy continued. “I know you just invited me here because you don’t want to cause conflict within the team, even though you wish I wasn’t co-captain.”

Cordelia shrugged meekly. “Maybe?”

Buffy took a step closer to Cordelia. “I just want you to know, I’m not backing down.” The statement had a vague resemblance to a threat. Buffy made her way past a dumbfounded Cordelia, and into the house.

 

“We’re not playing Spin-the-Bottle, Warren. Are you in eighth grade?”

The party was quickly going downhill. Cordelia didn’t even know who invited some of these gross, slobbering pre-frat boys.

She knew she needed some fresh air, ASAP. Away from the keg of beer and teenage pheromones. Being the host had its perks. She knew just the place to find that.

 

Cordelia sat down on the bench on her patio, only to realize too late that someone else was there. Sitting next to her was a certain blond ponytailed co captain.

“We keep meeting,” she said, trying to make it sound like a joke.

“Enjoying your party?” Buffy asked. Cordelia groaned in response.

“Doesn’t look like it, does it?”

Buffy shook her head. “I’d say you’re sorely lacking in any fun. Wanna go over potential plays for the first game?”

Cordelia looked straight at her. God, that dress was pretty. “Yeah,” she said. “My room—will be quieter.” Buffy responded with a quick “o-kay.” 

 

They didn’t spend much time talking about volleyball.

“So, you’re from L.A.?” Cordelia couldn’t hide her genuine interest.

“Yup. Moved here in the spring. Mom got a lucrative job in the small town art gallery industry.”

Cordelia smiled. They were sprawled out on her king sized bed, both somewhat exhausted and only slightly intoxicated.

“How much do you miss it?”

Buffy shook her head, squinting at Cordelia. “Not really at all. I mean, I wish I saw my dad more often but—Sunnydale, this place’s special.”

Cordelia stared at the earnestness on Buffy’s face. “Ugh. I don’t see it. You know we only got a Starbucks last year?”

Buffy giggled. “Do you think there are still people downstairs?”

“I don’t want to check.” Cordelia felt soft, warm, happy. It was a weird feeling. And even weirder that she was having this whole bonding sesh with Buffy Summers, the girl who stole her legacy. Sort of.

“You should sleep over,” Cordelia said groggily, loosely reaching her arm in Buffy’s direction. She yawned. The purple clock beside her bed displayed the time. 1:22 A.M. "I have a spare toothbrush."

“Oh. Sure.” Buffy sank into Cordelia’s down pillow. Cordelia turned out the lamp, and stared at Buffy in the dark ‘til she finally nodded off.


End file.
